More from Mexico

Lori and Dale made the most of their time in Mexico. Swimming and sunning on the beach, eating great seafood, riding a wave runner, checking out the local cantinas and restaurants, holing up in the RV on hot afternoons, reading and taking lots of siestas.


Heading for home after a relaxing vacation on the beach.


The repainted car . . . ready to hit the road!


Some last minute bargaining for souveniers. The merchants were hurting from the slow economy and torn up streets in the Old Downtown area.

Lori and Dale's Anniversary

Gene's daughter Lori and husband Dale drove down from Nebraska to spend their 30th anniversary laying on the beach in Puerto Penasco, Mexico, for 11 days. We parked the RV at Playa Bonita for them and joined them their final two days. They want to bring their whole family back next October and rent a four bedroom highrise condo at Sonoran Sky next to the RV park. Hope it works out!


View from The Lighthouse Restaurant high above the Old Downtown of Puerto Penasco. Sandy Beach where the RV park is located is in the background.


A side benefit of visiting Mexico: getting your car repaired and painted by Jesus and Manuel, owners of Painting Perfection. Lori and Dale spruced up their car and we had a few dents removed from our RV and Saturn bumper.


The shrimp fleet was back to work in October. Marcelino delivers fresh shrimp to your RV door. Add garlic and butter for a scrumptuous meal.


Sunsets are a reason to be outside in the late afternoon. We viewed them from every angle . . . from the hill above Rocky Point, from the Point Restaurant on the pier and from the wall or beach behind the RV.


There are lots of fun things to do, like renting a wave runner. There was a Hobi Catamaran regata going on when we first arrived. The water was ideal for swimming (about 85 degrees). The best time to walk the beach was early morning when it was cool.


As their slogan says: "If you haven't been to JJ's Cantina, you haven't been to Rocky Point." We took Lori and Dale to Cholla Bay and stopped for a cerveza at JJ's.


From JJ's patio, we watched the boat launchers hook up a trailer then back into the shallow surf to retrieve its owner. There is no harbor in Cholla Bay, so somebody came up with this unique boat launcher that looks like a tractor on stilts. The engine sits high above the tires and never gets wet no matter how far they have to back up into the bay.

Happy Birthday, Louise!

Louise Crabb Quick, Gene's sister, is celebrating her 80th birthday. We gathered at her nephew Mark's home in Laguna Beach for a big beach party.


Mark's home is on a cliff overlooking a sandy cove. The weather and water were perfect for swimming, kayaking and digging in the sand.


The four siblings: Linda and John, Louise and Gene.


Linda with her son, Mark, are all smiles on this gorgeous day. A sone staircase leads from the grassy backyard to the sandy beach.


Nanaette, Terri's daughter, plays in the sand.


A trip to southern California wouldn't be complete without a stop at the Dana Point Yacht Club. On the evening we were there with Glen, Terri and Nanaette, a gorgeous sunset highlighted the boats in the bay. The profile of the indian head on Dana Point stood out.

CMA Reunion

The California Maritime Academy Class of 1953 met in Pacific Grove, CA, from Sept. 21 to 23. Activities included an afternoon cocktail party hosted by the Venturini's at their home, breakfasts at the Lodge and a dinner the last evening. There was ample cajoling, laughter, teasing and story telling . . . a good time was had by all!


Bill and Donna Evans joined us on the "17 Mile Drive" from Pacific Grove to Carmel. We stopped at the Poppy Hill Golf Course for lunch.


Proof that the California Maritime Academy Class of '53 is still meeting and enjoying life. Next reunion: 2 years from now!

Monterey Jazz Festival

Call it dumb luck or just serendipity . . . but our good fortune had us arriving at the Monterey Pines RV Park a day before the Jazz festival was to begin. Even more fortunate, the RV park is right next to the fairgrounds where the event was taking place.

Now in its 53rd year, the festival draws thousands of people and features established jazz performers as well as "up and comers" in a main arena and on seven other stages. Picking whom to watch and listen to was no easy task. We attended on Saturday and chose Naomi Shelton and the Gospel Queens and felt as if we'd been to church; Dianne Reeves scatting and singing a softer jazz; a live simulcast of Delbert McClinton who looked liked he'd been out on a binge the night before; Septeto Nacional de Cuba, with sounds similar to the Buena Vista Social Club (that I love); and a young uke player, Jake Shimabukuro, who played everything from "Hallelujah" to classical to rock on just four strings.

But our favorite, and the crowd's and critics' too, was Trombone Shorty and his Orleans Avenue band from New Orleans. He rocked the house and had people dancing in the aisles. People were packed into the Garden Stage area and even hanging from the trees. He's only 23 years old (the oldest in his band is 27) and he was sensational!

Harry Connick, Jr. performed on Sunday night in the main arena. We could hear him from the RV, but I walked across the golf course to get a bit closer. It was almost as good as being there.

San Francisco Bay

Couldn't resist a stopover in the bay area. From our RV site in Redwood City, we made day trips into San Francisco and over the hill to Half Moon Bay. The above photo is Gene overlooking the entrance to San Francisco Bay from the Cliff House where we had drinks and watched the waves crashing on rocks below.


The day was sunny and bright as sailboats screamed under the Golden Gate Bridge. We counted about 20 kite surfers just east of the bridge in the Bay.


The city scape as seen from Lincoln Park. From here we drove past the St. Francis Yacht Club and over to Fisherman's Warf where we had dinner at Gene's favorite restaurant, Scoma's.


We read a San Francisco Chronicle review of Sam's Chowder House in Half Moon Bay and decided to try it. The lobster roll is rated as one of the five best sandwiches in the U.S. . . and it was!

Texas Hold 'Em

Gene with Marilyn and Don Romelli and Don's son Mark. He plays Texas Hold 'Em professionally and is known as "Mark the Shark".

I love Texas Hold 'Em. It's one of those games on TV that captures my attention, and like a nice hot shower, I can't turn it off! While we were in Bodega Bay, we met up with Marilyn, Don and Mark. He taught us the game, I got some lucky flops and in the end had most of the chips!

What made the evening even more enjoyable was Marilyn's minestrone soup. She started cooking it four days in advance, brought french bread to sop it up, and served some great California wines.

Mark lives atop a mountain just inland from Bodega Bay. We took a walk past vinyards, towering eucalyptus trees and views of the fog rolling in over the foothills below. Quite a location and an unforgettable evening!